Describe an unusual meal you had

You should say:

• Who you were with
• Where you went
• When it happened
• Why it was unusual

Band 8 Sample

Well, my family usually enjoys our dinner at home with simple and traditional dishes, but there was an occasion we had a very special meal together in a fancy restaurant.

It was around 3 years ago when I was tied up in revision for my final examination. After that high-pressure time, I passed the exam with flying colors so my dad decided to ease my mind by taking the whole family to a Western restaurant for enjoying a cozy meal together.

That dinner was a little unusual to my family because we had never eaten in such a luxurious restaurant, so my mother and I were very surprised at that time.

This French restaurant is located in downtown Ho Chi Minh City. Because it is situated in a well-trodden area, this restaurant welcomes hundreds of guests every night. The food here, therefore, wasn’t very budget-friendly. Actually, it cost my family an arm and a leg, which made this dinner even more special to me. Even though my dad is not the kind of person who makes a killing, he was still willing to take my mom and me to such a restaurant as a reward for my hard work. So I really appreciated him for that.

I really enjoyed this dinner because it really helped me to relieve everyday stress and chill out after long hard-working days. Besides, this unusual meal was also a very good chance for us to strengthen our family bond because we all have been so busy for a long time.

In the future I will try to earn a lot of money to take my family to wonderful places like this to try different cuisines and outstanding dishes, like lobster, abalone and salmon.

IELTS Speaking Part 3 : Follow up Questions

Here some examples of follow up questions that you may asked during your speaking part 3 by examiner related to cue card “Describe an unusual meal that you had”.

• Do you think having dinner at home is a good idea?

Well, definitely yes, home-made dishes are usually cleaner because we know how and when they were processed. Eating in restaurants may be less time-consuming for people who are too busy at work or study, but if the food they eat in restaurants is not hygienic enough, it will be harmful for their health. Moreover, having dinner with family members is a very good way to reduce stress and find happiness after work. If we are living with your family, a cozy dinner at home is very important.

• Do young people like to spend time with their families or friends?

I believe this will depend on what kind of people we are talking about. I mean, to those with a sociable personality, spending time with friends is not only a good way to have fun but also a time to cultivate their friendships which will help them at work. On the other hand, family-oriented people prefer staying with their family members because we all know family is always the most important. There are many kinds of young people, so I think their options are varied.

• What do you think are the benefits of having dinner together?

Having dinner with other people brings about a great number of benefits. One of them is this is a good way to relieve stress from work or study through talks we have with our family or friends. You know, eating alone would be very silent and tedious. Besides, people usually share their happy and sad stories they experienced in their workplace or at school, so I think we can learn a lot from it during our meals. For example, stories about my friends’ mistakes teach me what to do in a similar situation.

• Do you think people are less willing to cook meals by themselves these days, compared to the past?

Yes, I think most people nowadays lead very hectic lifestyles so they get used to fast food, meals that they can easily find at restaurants or even canned food. Many years ago, when many Vietnamese people were farmers, food like rice or other produce sometimes were abundant in their own house, so it would take them less time to prepare meals. Furthermore, cooking was a traditional activity of our ancestors, so they spent more time cooking than people in our modern society.